


light of the warp core

by Hannah (hannahoftheinternet)



Series: the best friends you can find [3]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: B'Elanna is a nerd, Friendship, Gen, I read so many articles to try and understand the tech behind the warp core, Kes's powers show themselves, Technology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 15:16:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16977006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahoftheinternet/pseuds/Hannah
Summary: Kes asks Torres to teach her about the warp core.Set sometime in early s2.





	light of the warp core

“Do you know anything about warp cores?” The chief engineer folded her arms and leaned against the railing that protected the device in question.

Kes shrugged apologetically. “Not really,” she said, “but I’d like to learn! I think it’s good information to have.”

“Right.” Torres lost some of her venom. “That’s true. Okay, sure. But don’t touch anything.”

Nodding enthusiastically, Kes followed Torres to a console affixed to the railing. With a few taps, the engineer pulled up a diagram made of boxes and arrows. 

“These are the deuterium and antimatter supplies,” she began, pointing at the two boxes on the left side of the diagram. “They flow into the reactant injectors. Deuterium into the deuterium injector, and antimatter into the--”

“Antimatter injector?” Kes guessed, smiling. She knew that Torres would probably tell her off for interrupting, but she wanted to share the connection she’d made.

To her surprise, Torres smiled a little as well. “Yes. Do you know what happens next?”

Kes didn’t. She hedged until something Neelix had said recently came to mind. “Um… the EPS network?”

Torres deflated slightly. Kes gave an internal wince. She’d disappointed her. “Uh, no,” Torres said, tapping one of two squiggles with her nail. “First the deuterium, the matter, and the anti-deuterium, the antimatter, have to go into the reaction chamber. They react with each other to make electro-plasma. Dilithium controls the reaction.  _ Then _ the electro-plasma is carried around the ship by the EPS network. Got it?”

Kes ran it through her head.  _ Antimatter and deuterium react. Dilithium helps. They make electro-plasma. EPS network moves it. _ “Got it. Next is the plasma injector?”

“That’s right!” Torres looked pleasantly surprised. “I thought you said you didn’t know anything about warp cores.”

Shrugging, Kes peeked at the diagram again. “I helped Neelix make repairs to his core once or twice. Most of it went over my head, but I remember that the plasma injector injects plasma.”

“Well, I’d assume Talaxian ships are different from Starfleet ones, but I’ll look and see if it functions on the same principals,” Torres said, and a gleam came into her eye. Mentally reaching out, Kes found a mind of connected relays, working faster than light speed. It made her dizzy, so she withdrew. She has uncovered, though, what came next.

“The plasma injector funnels electro-plasma into the warp coils in the nacelles?” she asked, hesitant to supply information that she’d taken without Torres’s knowledge.

“How did you know?”

Kes could feel herself turning slightly pink. “You know it by heart. I just reached out and…”

Instantly on the defensive, Torres balled her fists. “You went through my mind?” she snapped. Kes didn’t have to use her powers to know that the anger coming from her burned at a temperature comparable to Ocampa’s sun. 

“I’m sorry,” she said soothingly. “I was trying to understand why engineering is so fascinating to you, and accidentally stumbled across it. I won’t do it again.”

“Don’t!” Torres took a long breath. “Good, now you know how warp cores work.”

“Would you mind if I came back sometime soon?” Kes asked gently. “I think I have a lot more to learn.”

The engineer nodded, the warp core making her look slightly blue. “Works for me.”

Kes smiled. Beneath her prickly exterior, Torres was like a child waiting for the  _ Ramora _ festival. They could be friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are a writer's best friend!


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